Barnsley

Barnsley's population increased by about 13,200 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 230,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Barnsley increased by 6.0%, from about 218,000 to 231,000.

The addition of about 13,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Barnsley was home to, on average, 5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Barnsley

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Barnsley increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,300 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 7,000.

About 16.0% of people in Barnsley are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Barnsley saw England's largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 10.3% to 6.0%.

In 2011, just over 1 in 12 (8.4%) in Barnsley said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 14.1% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 61.3% to 75.2%.

Surrey Heath saw England's next largest rise in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad (from 5.3% to 3.2%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Barnsley decreased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Barnsley saw England's second-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

During this period, Barnsley overtook 77 local authority areas, including Pendle and Rushmoor, to become the English local authority area with the seventh-highest percentage of cohabiting households.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12.3%) households in Barnsley had an unmarried couple, compared with 9.0% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person increased from 27.9% to 29.5%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple occurred in Gateshead (from 7.6% to 10.9%).

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Barnsley increased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

Barnsley saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just over one in eight (12.9%) people aged 16 and over in Barnsley said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 11.2% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 53.5% to 47.8%.

Across the region, only North Lincolnshire (from 11.1% to 13.0%) and Hambleton (from 8.9% to 10.7%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner, as the regional average grew from 10.8% to 11.9%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Barnsley

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Barnsley was among those who said they had no religion, rising 14.1 points.

In 2011, 25.7% of respondents in Barnsley gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 11.6% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Barnsley, 73.2% said they were Christian, compared with 87.7% in 2001. About 0.1% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 8.2% to 6.9%.

In Barnsley, 6.5% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.5% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Barnsley increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Barnsley

The percentage of Barnsley residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.7% to 5.1% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.3%, while the percentage of Barnsley residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 88.3%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in social renting

The percentage of socially rented homes fell in Barnsley at a faster rate than in Wigan (one of the most statistically similar areas to Barnsley based on ONS area classifications).

In Barnsley, the proportion of social housing decreased from 25.6% in 2001 to 20.9% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Wigan decreased from 19.8% to 18.9%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of socially rented homes decreased from 20.9% to 18.1%.

Private renting in Barnsley increased from 7.2% to 12.8%, while the rate of home ownership remained close to 64.3%.

The rate of social housing in Barnsley decreased by 4.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Barnsley working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12.3% to 9.4% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 50 (2.2%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.3% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 12.6% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Barnsley decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Barnsley residents that were unemployed increased from 3.9% to 5.1% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in two (51.4%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 48.7% in 2001. The percentage of Barnsley residents that were self-employed increased from 6.3% to 7.7%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Barnsley increased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Barnsley

In 2011, 97.9% of Barnsley residents said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 99.1% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from one of the White ethnic groups fell from 93.5% to 88.8%, while across England the percentage went from 90.7% to 85.1%.

Around 0.7% of people in Barnsley said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, compared with 0.4% in 2001. About 0.7% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.4% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 0.5%.

The population from one of the White ethnic groups in Barnsley decreased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Barnsley with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 10.7% to 10.5% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29.1%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 30.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Barnsley without children increased from 58.5% to 60.4%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Barnsley residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.6% to 1.8% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 3.1%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Barnsley remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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